After We Fall by Melanie Harlow

Author:Melanie Harlow [Harlow, Melanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780998310107
Publisher: MH Publishing
Published: 2016-11-25T18:30:00+00:00

Twenty-One

Jack

Her body went still beneath mine. She’s holding her breath.

She swallowed. “You want me to stay? Are you sure?”

“Yes.” I pulled out of her, and turned her gently onto her back. The way she looked up at me made my chest tighten. “If you want to.”

“Jack.” Her hands flew to my face, her thumbs brushing my cheekbones. “Of course I want to.”

I smiled, feeling as if a massive weight had been lifted off my chest. “Good.”

“But I know things are complicated.”

“They are.” I wouldn’t lie to her. “And I can’t make any promises.”

“I don’t need promises,” she said quickly. “I don’t have conditions, don’t need to put a label on this, don’t have to know how it ends. I just like being with you.”

I kissed one of her palms. “Thank you.”

She smiled, letting her hands trail over my shoulders. “You know, it’s funny. This is the first time in my life I’m giving myself permission to just do what I want to do without worrying about how it fits in to the grand scheme of my life. Without caring if it’s what Thurber women do.”

That made me chuckle. “I’m gonna guess Muffy would not approve.”

She giggled and shook her head. “Probably not. But guess what? I don’t care.” Her face lit up the dark. “I don’t care. I just want to stay here for a while and enjoy myself.”

“Me too.” Although for me, here wasn’t a physical place. It was a state of mind that allowed me to enjoy some time with Margot without feeling like I owed anyone an apology. Without feeling like it was a complete betrayal. Without the guilt. It was a place I’d reached as I’d run through the rain toward home, realizing that I could either spend another sleepless night alone and tortured by thoughts of her, or I could allow myself a brief reprieve from the loneliness.

And maybe for Margot, it was the same—a break from the expectations, the rules governing her behavior, a chance for her to indulge her less…polite side. Get her hands dirty. I could definitely help her with that.

But that’s all it could be—a respite, a temporary relief. Anything more was out of the question.

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